


And Then He Kissed Me

by StarlightCrystalline (MindMangler)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:54:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26927713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MindMangler/pseuds/StarlightCrystalline
Summary: Just a slightly angsty, fluffy Fall moment with our favourite former assassin.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 1
Kudos: 57





	And Then He Kissed Me

“On your left!”

“Oh, come ON!” Sam slowed from his steady pace, before stopping near you. “Did you tell him about that?” He panted, his hands resting on his knees.

“I might have mentioned it, in passing.” You grinned back at him, before sipping at your latte.

“Why? Why would you tell Barnes?” He made his way over to the bench you were sitting on, pulling on his hoodie against the cold. “This gonna be the rest of my life now, you know that.”

“He was having a bad night.” You shrugged, pulling your cardigan tighter around you. “He couldn’t focus on a movie, so it was hot cocoa and chatting.” You glanced at Sam, smirking. “He laughed for about ten minutes straight when I told him about it. Seemed kind of pissed that Steve never told him.”

Sam threw his head back and laughed. “Yeah, well Steve knew how to keep secrets. Some spy you are.” He shook his head and smiled at you. “I’m going back in, it’s too damn cold out here. You coming?”

“I’ll wait for Bucky.” You took a final mouthful of coffee, then looked up as Sam chuckled. “What?”

“Nothin’.” He shook his head and started for the compound. “Tell Tinman he’s an asshole and Imma get him back when we spar tomorrow.”

You watched Sam go, then huddled up on the bench. You really should have gone in, too. It was late October, in upstate New York. The sun was starting to set, the wind was whipping up the leaves, and you were sitting there in jeans, boots, a long sleeved shirt and a cardigan. Your coffee had stayed warm thanks to the Stark tech thermos, but now that it was gone you could feel the chill seeping into your bones.

“Bucky!” You bellowed as the super soldier came into view. He smiled, slowed down and veered towards you.

“What are you still doin’ out here, doll?” He wasn’t even out of breath, damn him. “You’re gonna freeze.”

“Sam went back in and wanted me to deliver a message to you.” You told him as you stashed your empty thermos in your satchel.

“Oh?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Mmm, yeah. He says he loves you, and he’ll go easy on you in training tomorrow, seeing as how you ran about four laps more than he did.”

A blinding smile broke out on Bucky’s face and he laughed, brushing his flesh hand through his recently cropped hair. That smile was a sight you never tired of seeing, and you tried to coax one out of him as often as you could.

“For a top spy, you’re a terrible liar.” He laughed at you, his steely eyes twinkling. He gripped your hand and pulled you up from the bench. “And you really are freezing, doll.” He added, frowning. “Tell Birdman to deliver his own messages next time.”

“I didn’t mind waiting.” You attempted a shrug, but a shiver took over your body instead.

“Doll.”

“I didn’t!” You exclaimed. “I just wish I had brains enough to have brought a jacket.”

“You got a human furnace here, come on.” He pulled you into his side. “Not too sweaty?”

“I’ll live.” You scrunched your nose at him, and tried to slow the sudden rapid pace your heart had kicked into.  _ Stop it. He’s a team mate. He’s a co worker. Stop it. Stop it stop it stopit STOPIT. _

__

“Are we doing a movie night tonight?” Bucky’s low voice interrupted your internal mantra.

“Of course, if you want to.” You kicked at the golden leaves strewn across the path. “Anything in particular you feel like?”

“Well, it’s October.”

“It is.” You agreed.

“So, what’s your favourite scary movie?” You burst out laughing at his words, and he looked down at you, confusion on his handsome features. “I don’t get it.”

“It’s a line from, well, from my favourite scary movie. Scream.” You shook your head, still laughing softly. “It’s the most iconic line from it.”

“Well then, it sounds like that’s what we should watch, since apparently I already know it so well.”

“Scream it is.” You smiled up at him. “You make the cocoa and the popcorn and I’ll get my room properly ready for a horror movie.”

“Which means what, exactly?”

“I’ll turn on that jack o’ lantern lamp I got.”

“Very spooky.” Bucky laughed.

You continued walking towards the compound in a companionable silence, his arm tight around you, you pressing closer to him each time the wind came swooping through the avenue of trees. You were almost at the end of the tree-lined path, the main building of the compound in sight, when Bucky stopped and tugged your arm gently. You turned to face him, and looked up at him, confused.

“What’s wrong?”

There was a slight frown on his brows as he stared at the ground. “Doll,” he began, then sighed and shook his head. He looked up suddenly, his eyes gazing directly into yours. “Y/n,” he said firmly, taking your hands in his. “I need to tell you something.”

“Okay... Is everything all right? Have I done something wrong?”

“No! No, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s the opposite, actually.”

You laughed a little. “What?” You shivered in the cold air. “Can this wait until after we’re inside, and we’ve showered and gotten warm again?”

“If I wait, I’m never gonna say it.” His blue eyes found the ground again.

“Bucky, what’s wrong?” 

“No, it doesn’t matter.” He shook his head, dropped your hands and turned back towards the compound.

“I’m not moving.”

He stopped, turned and look at you. “Doll, come on. You’re actually turning blue.”

“Nope.” You crossed your arms over your chest. “Tell me what you were going to say.”

“It’s not important.”

“It is. You wanted to say it, so say it.” You reached a trembling hand out to him, and after a moment he took it and pulled you close, wrapping both his arms tight around you. “Bucky?”

He mumbled something into your hair, his hands sliding from your ribs down to the small of your back.

“Didn’t catch that, Buck.” Your voice was shaky, and it wasn’t from the cold. He was so warm, he was so close, and despite his earlier run, he smelled  _ so good _ . Maybe you’d frozen to death and this was heaven.

Bucky inhaled deeply, then leaned back and gazed directly into your eyes. “I love you.” His eyes were wide, vulnerable, almost scared, but determined. “I love you, and I’m sure you don’t love me, but I need you to know that I love you. I love your kindness, your silliness and your damn stubbornness. I love that you sacrifice your own sleep to make sure I’m okay, and I love how spaced out you are the next day. I love that you give up your free time to make me playlists for the most random moods or situations. I love that you think I need both a ‘songs to clean your guns to’  _ and _ a ‘songs to clean your knives to’ playlist.” He laughed and moved his hands from your back up to frame your face. “And I love how you help me plan pranks to play on Sam and then pretend you don’t help him prank me, as well.” He stopped and took a steadying breath. “I love you.” His face twisted into a grimace. “And I’ve probably killed our friendship forever now, I know that. But I had to tell you. I couldn’t keep all that in doll, I just couldn’t. I can’t be just your friend.”

Your mouth had dropped open at his first ‘I love you’, and your eyes had never wavered from his. When he finally stopped, you lifted your own hands to grasp his wrists.

“Bucky, I-“

“Don’t. Please, I know. I’ll go. I’ll move. I’ll leave you alone. I just had to-“

“I love you, too.” You interjected.

”-tell you, I couldn’t... Wait. What?”

“I love you, Bucky.” You smiled at him. “I have for a long time.”

“Really?”

“I haven’t made pointless playlists for anyone else, you know. But you’re pretty much always on my mind, so...”

“Birdman doesn’t get personal playlists?”

“What? ‘Songs to flap your wings to’? Actually...”

“No, don’t you dare.”

“I won’t. If...” Your gaze dropped pointedly from his eyes to his lips. That blinding smile of his spread slowly across his face again, then he lowered his head to yours, and then he kissed you.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted at my [Tumblr](https://starlightcrystalline.tumblr.com/) as part of my 100 Followers Celebration. 
> 
> Come play with me there!
> 
> Comments and Kudos spark joy 💚


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